THE 2025 SYDNEY Film Festival – otherwise known as the Sydney-based cinephile’s Christmas – is nearly, and as usual, the program is packed with everything from indie darlings to recent standouts from the global festival circuit. And it’s a good time get an idea of the 2026 Oscars race early on.

Running from June 4 to 15, 201 films and documentaries from over 70 countries will be screening at the 2025 Sydney Film Festival, 137 of which will be Australian premieres. The size of the lineup is a testament to the festival’s increasing stature on the word’s stage, where it’s now a fixture on the cinematic calendar.

But to the average moviegoer, it presents are rather overwhelming decision-making process. Should you stick to local features to support Australian cinema or expand your palette with international films? Is it worth bothering with the bigger names on the billing if they’ll be releasing in cinemas soon? Should you flock to the obscure indie flicks because there may not be another opportunity to see them? These are some of the thoughts that will flash through your mind upon seeing the lineup for the 2025 Sydney Film Festival.

Don’t worry though, we’ve got you. Here, we’ll be breaking down the essential films you’ll want to prioritise, as well as everything else you need to know to make sure you get the most out of the festivities.

What are the best films to see at the Sydney Film Festival 2025?

Together

The film that is opening the festival, Together, is one of the most anticipated Australian films of the year and is Michael Shanks’ directorial debut. Starring James Franco and Alison Brie, it centres on a couple that moves to the countryside only to find their usually tame relationship drama heighten and ultimately morph into rapidly escalating body horror. It’s part of a new wave of body horror hits, headlined by The Substance, and is both outrageously funny and patently disturbing.

On Swift Horses

Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Will Poulter and Diego Calva in a steamy, LGBT romance set in the 1950s American West? How is this cast and premise not attracting more hype? We’re not sure, but one thing is certain: this is at the very top of our watchlist. Edgar-Jones’ Muriel and Poulter’s Lee play a young couple ready to swap the tedium of Kansas for the bright lights of California. But when Elordi’s Julius and Calva’s Henry enter the picture, the couple are confronted with a desire to do away with their mundane lives in favour of exploring the infinite possibilities offered by their newfound attraction.

Blue Moon

The latest film from celebrated director Richard Linklater stars Ethan Hawke, Andrew Scott and Hollywood’s busiest actress, Margaret Qualley. It’s set in 1943 and unfolds in real time as lyricist Lorenz Hart (Hawke) finds his career at a crossroads amid a creative slump. He sits at a bar on the opening night of Oklahoma!, a new show formulated by his former creative partner, Richard Rodgers (Scott). He’s hoping to rekindle his relationship with Rodgers and needs to remain sober to do so, but at the same time, the latest object of his desire is about to arrive: a much younger college student played by Qualley.

The Mastermind

After taking on a role as a conscientious thief of ancient artefacts in 2024’s La Chimera, Josh O’Connor will again play a thief, but this time his target is highly valuable art. In this 1970s-set heist drama, O’Connor’s J.B. finds that casing the museum that houses the art and discovering its blind spots is the easy part. Assembling a team of thieves amid growing protests against the Vietnam war proves to be more of a challenge.

Bring Them Down

The sons of two rival sheep farmers in Ireland’s scenic countryside come to blows over a dispute involving some prized rams. The hostilities gradually escalate until they become bloody, and neither side emerges unscathed. A portrait of the pitfalls of masculinity, this is a tale of seeking revenge and retribution to preserve pride.

The End

As far as premises go, they don’t get much more absurd than that of The End, which is a post-apocalyptic musical comedy about the last family on earth. The aforementioned family has carved out a new life deep underground, in a custom-built compound inside a salt mine, alongside their close friends and servants. When a mysterious young woman arrives out of the blue, the family’s son, who is too young to remember the apocalypse, begins to question the narrative of the world’s end he’s been fed from a young age.

The Friend

Naomi Watts stars in The Friend as a New York novelist accustomed to living alone – and that’s the way she likes it. But when her mentor (played by Bill Murray) suddenly takes his own life, he bequeaths her his beloved – but rather uncouth – great dane. The dog, named Apollo, isn’t exactly a good fit for a tiny Manhattan apartment, but he and his reluctant new owner will have to make things work.

Fwends

A pair of twenty-something best friends reunite for a weekend in Melbourne in this Australian-made buddy comedy. One of the friends, who works as a lawyer in Sydney, is the more level-headed of the two, while the other friend is a bit of a dreamer. They catch up and reignite their bond while sharing office horror stories, deliberating over breakups and various other existential crises that come with being young in the 2020s. The plot might sound fairly simple, but this is actually a deeper take on the ups and downs of modern female friendship.

Dreams

On the surface, Friends is an erotic romance, but it also doubles as an exploration of the tumultuous relationship between the United States and Mexico. Jessica Chastain takes on the leading role as Jennifer, a wealthy socialite who takes an interest in more philanthropic ventures in Mexico City. It’s there that she starts a passionate romance with young dancer Fernando. Following his lover to San Francisco, Fernando crosses the border illegally. But once they’re together in the United States, the initial lust and infatuation of their relationship is replaced by deeper questions about its problematic nature.

Slanted

From Australian debut director Amy Wang, Slanted is a satire about a would-be prom queen who undergoes radical surgery to change her race and give herself a better shot at the title. Our main character, a Chinese American, has always dreamed of being Prom Queen. The problem is she doesn’t feel like she meets the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty standards established by previous winners. When an ad for ‘racial transformation surgery’ catches her eye, she makes the irreversible decision to turn herself white. The story is inspired by the director’s own upbringing as a Chinese Australian in Sydney.

Vie Privée

Jodie Foster leads Vie Privée, a gently comedic murder-mystery about a psychiatrist who becomes convinced that her patient’s sudden death wasn’t entirely above board. When the aforementioned patient stops showing up to her sessions, Foster’s Dr Lilian Steiner is initially peeved, but her annoyance soon turns to conviction as she believes that the patient didn’t just die, but was murdered by her husband. Dr Steiner enlists the help of her ex-husband (who is also a hypnotist) to investigate.

When is the Sydney Film Festival?

The 2025 Sydney Film Festival will take place from June 4th-15th. The festival will begin with the opening night gala and red carpet premiere of Together at the State Theatre. Prizes will be handed out at the closing night awards ceremony at the State Theatre on June 15th, followed by a yet to be announced screening.

Where can you get tickets for the Sydney Film Festival?

Single-session tickets and more expansive flexipasses for the 2025 Sydney Film Festival are available to purchase at the Sydney Film Festival’s official website here.

What venues are hosting the Sydney Film Festival?

13 venues – including, for the first time, the Sydney Opera House – spread across four regions will host showings during the 2025 Sydney Film Festival. These aren’t just any run-of-the-mill franchises or run-down theatres though. All 13 venues are rich in history and can count themselves amongst Sydney’s finest cinematic establishments. Find the full list of host venues below.

• New South Wales State Theatre (Sydney CBD)
• Dendy Newtown (Inner West)
• Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney CBD)
• Sydney Opera House Playhouse (Sydney CBD)
• Event Cinemas George Street (Sydney CBD)
• Ritz Cinemas Randwick (Eastern Suburbs)
• Hayden Orpheum Cremorne (North Shore)
• Palace Central Cinemas (Sydney CBD)
• Palace Norton Street (Inner West)
• City Recital Hall (Sydney CBD)
• The Hub, Lower Town Hall (Sydney CBD)
• Sydney Town Hall (Sydney CBD)

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